AVON MAITLAND DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
New Equipment Donation will Benefit FE Madill Technology Students

When students at FE Madill Secondary School (FEMSS) are creating air-tight seals between connectors and hydraulic hoses they will now be using industry standard equipment, thanks to the generosity of a local community partner. Huron Tractor, one of the largest John Deere dealers in Canada, has recently donated a hydraulic hose crimper to the Transportation Technology: Agriculture and Heavy Duty Equipment program at the school.

The Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Agriculture program FEMSS was exploring how to fund the $16,000 piece of equipment and approached Huron Tractor Parts Manager, Brian Young to provide a quote. He saw it as a good opportunity for his company to step up and help out. He approached the owners of the 11 location dealership and they were supportive of making the donation. They wanted to help the community, and the Wingham school is well located between 3 or 4 of their branches. Young thought it would be great if their donation would "help younger people get interested in the trades".

Jeff Cowan(r), Transportation teacher and head of the Technology Department at FEMSS, receiving the donation of a hydraulic hose crimper from Brian Young, Huron Tractor Parts Manager.

Jeff Cowan, head of the Technology Department and Transportation teacher at FEMSS, said his students will use the crimper when fabricating custom hydraulic lines. The students will learn this process while working on classroom demonstration equipment and also on the agricultural equipment students bring in from their home farms. "This donation will introduce students to another aspect of the industry that in the past we had to contract out to a supplier", said Cowan.

A component of the SHSM program offers industry level certifications to student participants and having this equipment on hand will allow the students to gain their Hydraulics certificate. "This is one more qualification with which AMDSB students can graduate through their participation in SHSM," said Keith Edwards, Pathways Coordinator for the SHSM program. "We are so appreciative of the exceptional opportunity this donation affords our students".